A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: The Malfoy family only had to act as a normal, loving, and caring family for a week while Rose visited. Easier said than done. Scorose
1. Prologue

_**Summary: **__The Malfoy family only had to act as a normal, loving, and caring family for a week while Rose visited. Easier said than done. Scorose_

_**A/N: **__Like a month and a half until Christmas; how crazy is that?! Can't believe how fast these past few months have gone by! Enjoy this little story as you get ready got the merry season. _

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wonderous JKR!_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Prologue**

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><p><em>It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas<em>

_~Meredith Wilson_

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><p>Snow drifted by the window outside. Rose knew she should be busy focusing on her potions essay, her final assignment before the break. However, her mind was a million miles away from potions' ingredients and procedures. She was staring out the window, musing about the fact that, even though it was Christmas holidays, for the first time ever, she wouldn't be leaving the castle.<p>

That year, her parents had been sent throughout Asia to help settle various disputes that had arisen between the magical races. They had originally thought they would be home for Christmas, but complications in Thailand had forced them to extend their trip, leaving Rose and Hugo parentless for Christmas.

Rose did have other options; that was the benefit of having a large family. Hugo had jumped at the chance to spend the holidays with their Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Rose had been a little more apprehensive. Christmas to her, meant being home in Chudley with her parents and brother and visiting her grandparents for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She loved her extended family to death, but those two days were all she could handle around Christmas. Emotions were always heightened at that time of year, and her family's emotions were already pretty high on an average day.

As a result, she decided to forgo her family that year and spend Christmas at Hogwarts. Her Uncle Harry had often described the solitude and quite that permeated the castle at Christmas time and Rose was looking forward to be able to use it to get some work done.

As her wandering mind returned to the notion of work, Rose turned away from the window and began on her potions essay. She didn't get very far before a large ruckus around her alerted her to the arrival of a large group of people. She carefully put down her quill and looked up, seeing her cousin Albus, her boyfriend Scorpius, and the rest of their group of friends all crowding around her.

"Hello, Rosie!" the dark skinned girl exclaimed, much too loudly for the library.

"We're in the library, Char," the other girl of the group, a slender red haired witch, ribbed her friend, "You need to use your inside voice."

"Oh shut it, Mia!" the dark skinned girl, Charlotte Zabini, turned away from her red haired friend, Mia Pritchard, and focused once again on Rose. "We missed you at dinner and figured you'd be up here working away." Charlotte then pulled out the chair in front of her and took a seat. Soon after, the rest of the group followed suit. Rose carefully tucked away her parchment with the essay on it, knowing she would get no more done on it that night.

Rose was right as Charlotte quickly took control of the conversation and began talking about holidays, the egregious amount of work they had to do before holidays, and the shopping she hadn't had time to complete because of said work. Rose and the other members of the group dutifully listened, interjecting at the appropriate times. Rose had found Charlotte's take-charge attitude and enjoyment of the limelight a little off-putting when she'd first met her. Now, however, Rose was used to it and didn't even pay it much attention. She'd just come to accept that, no matter what the setting, Charlotte would be the person doing the most talking.

Luckily for Rose, Charlotte and the other Slytherins had arrived only moments before the library was to close and the librarian was soon telling them they had to head back to their dorms for the night. Inwardly, Rose breathed a sigh of relief and began collecting her stuff as the rest of the group stood and left. By the time Rose had put away all her papers and books, the only person left standing near her was Scorpius.

He had a concerned look on his face and Rose was instantly worried. She tried to think back to when he had entered the library and if he had a similar look or if it was something Charlotte had said that had upset him. However, Rose came up empty.

"Everything ok?" she asked, hesitantly. Scorpius was always so hard to read that Rose was never sure if what she was seeing was what he was really feeling. His concern could be genuine concern or a façade to conceal some other emotion he didn't want to discuss but couldn't burry down deep.

"Al told me you were staying at the castle for Christmas," he responded. Real concern, Rose thought.

"Yeah, my parents are in Asia and my family is, well, intense, at Christmas. I thought staying at the castle would provide me the most peaceful option." Rose hitched her bag over her shoulder and began exiting the library, Scorpius by her side.

"But the castle is so empty at Christmas. There's hardly anyone here and the celebration is kind of lame and lonely." Rose wasn't sure where Scorpius was taking the conversation. He was obviously trying to talk her out of staying, but she knew he knew that any of her relatives was not a real option for her at that point.

"It's the best I've got," she responded, slightly more tentatively than she had before.

"What if it wasn't?" he commented, his voice barely a whisper. Rose leaned in a little closer to him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, still unsure of where Scorpius was going.

"Well, I was thinking, my house would be better than Hogwarts for Christmas. And you could even see your family for a few days or something." As he spoke, Scorpius, one of the most confident people Rose knew, stared at the ground, rushed through his words, and spoke so softly she almost didn't catch what he said.

"You want me to spend Christmas at your house?" Rose asked, slightly shocked. They had been dating for over a year, and she had met his parents before, but an entire week at her boyfriend's house was still a huge deal and Rose hadn't thought they were at that stage. However, now that it was before her, she felt like it was only natural.

"Only if you want to," Scorpius quickly spoke, obviously worried about how she felt about the idea.

Rose smiled.

"I'd love too."

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><p><em>Dearest Mother and Father,<em>

_I am writing to you with good news. As you know, you have been requesting to meet my girlfriend Rose in an official girlfriend capacity since I informed you of our courtship. Well, in a few weeks time, you will get the opportunity. I have asked Rose to spend Christmas holidays with us and she has agreed._

_I hope I have not over-stepped my boundaries, and that you will welcome her warmly and treat her as if she were your daughter,_

_Sincerely,_

_Scorpius_

Astoria Malfoy put down the letter and looked over at her husband.

"Well, Christmas should be interesting this year."

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Chapter one down! Drama and Malfoy family antics to come!_

_Let me know what you thought!_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wonderous JKR_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy "Family" Christmas<strong>

**Chapter One**

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><p><em>Remember what Bilbo used to say; it's dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road and, if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to<em>

_~JRR Tolkien_

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><p>"You're going to have the most amazing Christmas ever, Rosie!" Charlotte called as Scorpius, Albus and Rose arrived at the train station in Hogsmeade and disembarked from their carriage.<p>

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Char," Rose responded, waving the excited girl off. She was nervous enough about the whole situation of meeting her boyfriend's family and spending Christmas with them; she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Too bad 'not a big deal' was out of Charlotte's wheelhouse.

"It's so so so so so so so exciting! Meeting the parents! Spending Christmas with them! Big deal! Major moment!" Charlotte sing-songed as she interlaced her arm with Rose's and began to walk her towards the train.

"Not really, Char," Rose tried again, "I've already met his parents, you know, before all of this," Rose motioned between her and Scorpius. "It's nothing new." She turned back to the blond and Albus, who were lagging behind because of the amount luggage they were carrying. She was looking for help getting out of the situation from her boyfriend or her cousin. She didn't care which. However, no help was forthcoming because both men were too preoccupied with their task at hand.

"But this, dear Rose, is so much more than that! It's your first official meeting as a girlfriend! Plus, it's not a meeting for a few hours where you go your separate ways at the end. It's an entire week at the Malfoys' with only Scorpius and his parents. It's so intimate and personal! Not like when Scor visits you and Al and all those cousins of yours. This is a big step!"

With each word Charlotte spoke, Rose's arm that wasn't locked in Charlotte's clutches moved towards her wand. Rose wasn't sure if the dark haired girl was oblivious to Rose's emotions, or was purposefully being cruel and heaping on pressure. Either way, Rose was ready to hex Charlotte's mouth closed and walk away.

Luckily, Scorpius and Albus seemed to clue into the situation at just the right time. The moment Rose's hand moved to close around her wand, the wand was pulled through her still loose grip. She turned to see what had happened to it and saw Scorpius discretely stowing her wand in his bag.

"Hey, Char, how's tour Christmas shopping going?" Scorpius asked, diffusing the situation and giving Charlotte a topic she could talk about for hours. As Charlotte began nattering away about the difficulty she was having with Madam Malkin's owl-in orders, Rose turned to Scorpius and mouthed a 'thank you.'

However, Charlotte's words had already done a fair amount of damage on Rose's nerves. As she boarded the Hogwart's Express she felt weak and shaky and was worried she might faint. If she couldn't get her nerves under control, the week at the Malfoys' would be brutal.

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><p>Rose couldn't help but stare, nearly open-mouthed, at the dark haired, dark skinned girl fast asleep on the bench across from her. Charlotte, Rose, Albus, and Scorpius had met up with the other member of Slytherin groups and quickly found an empty compartment on the train. Almost as soon as her butt hit the seat, Charlotte tipped her head back and fell asleep. Charlotte, who had spent a good fifteen minutes ensuring Rose would not be able to relax the entire train ride back to London, had gone and dozed off first thing! The audacity!<p>

"You're staring, Rosie," Albus commented into her ear. She turned her attention away from Charlotte to glare at her cousin. Albus simply chuckled. "Relax Rose. Mrs. Malfoy loves you! You know that! You have absolutely nothing to worry about!"

"I know!" Rose responded, getting out some of her nervous energy by lightly tapping her foot against Charlotte's limp leg. "I know it intellectually, have been telling myself that all day. I just don't know it emotionally! Plus, Char was a boatload of unhelpful with her talk about how important this week is and whatnot." Rose punctuated her statement by kicking Charlotte a little harder; it was a great catharsis and Charlotte was so deep in sleep that she didn't feel a thing.

"Charlotte means well," Geoff Goyle interjected. Rose gave him a look that said she wasn't buying what he was selling.

"She does," Mia put in from the other side of Albus. "She's excited for you Rose and she wants you to be as excited as she is! She's just not always so good with picking up on the fact that she often makes people feel really bad. We're working on it." Rose half-heartedly agreed with Mia, but she was still so upset at Charlotte that she couldn't completely excuse her behavior.

"Still doesn't give her the right to make me feel bad," Rose grumbled under her breath. However, the other occupants of the compartment and made to start a heated argument. Scorpius, ever the diplomat, interjected before anything could happen.

"Anybody have any thoughts about that potions essay we're supposed to write over the break. I was thinking of tackling the properties and uses of the Shrinking Solution and how it can go wrong if it isn't prepared correctly. What about you, Al?"

The group quickly changed from battling over Charlotte to discussing potions. Rose, deciding that conversing with the Slytherins in her current distressed state would only be harmful, pulled out a book. She wasn't really reading; her mind was too busy creating worst-case scenarios. She simply used the book as a prop to distance herself and allow her to be left alone to figure out her emotions.

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><p>Several hours after the Hogwart's Express had pulled out of Hogsmead, it pulled into King's Cross Station. Even though Rose had spent most of the trip alone with her thoughts. She was still extremely nervous at the idea of spending a week with the Malfoys. It wasn't because they were Malfoys, Rose knew they were perfectly nice people, but because they were her boyfriend's parents. This was a major step in their relationship and, even though she was 100% ready, it was perfectly logical that she was nervous.<p>

"Earth to Rose," a voice called, cutting through her thoughts. Instantly, she came back to reality and realized she was sitting in a completely empty compartment. Dazedly, she turned to the door where Scorpius was waiting, staring questioningly at her. "You coming?"

"What?" Rose asked, still not thinking completely. A few seconds later she added, "yeah. Yeah, I'm coming." She quickly stood and gathered her belongings, and then followed Scorpius off the train. Apparently, Rose had been sitting in thought in her compartment for quite some time; when she and Scorpius stepped off the train, the platform was nearly empty of people.

"There you are! I was getting worried!" an elegant, bell-like voice called from her right. Rose turned and saw a petite, dark haired woman standing a few feet away.

"Sorry, Mum," Scorpius responded, moving towards the woman, "Rose was a little –distracted." Scorpius embraced his mother and exchanged further greetings. She obviously said something that embarrassed him because Scorpius turned beat red and moved away from his mother. She simply gave her son a sweet smile, then turned her focus on Rose.

"Hello Rose. How was the train?" Rose smiled back at Astoria, the Malfoy matriarch's sweet disposition instantly relaxing her.

"Long, as always," Rose responded.

"The train was always my least favourite part. But at least now you've got two weeks of no classes and minimal schoolwork. I'd say that more than makes up for a long train ride." Rose chuckled at Astoria, while Scorpius simply rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't we be going, Mum? I'm sure Dad is getting lonely," Scorpius spoke, grabbing the bags to emphasize his desire to leave.

"Oh, he isn't alone. Your grandparents are visiting for Christmas," Astoria answered, waving her wand to shrink the bags to a more manageable size. Rose froze at her words.

"What?" asked Rose, her surprise manifesting in curtness. Either Astoria didn't notice or, the more likely option, she chose not to dwell on it.

"Didn't I tell you?" she asked Scorpius, "Your father's parents will be spending Christmas with us. Narcissa insisted she meet your girlfriend."

And, as quickly as it had dissipated, Rose's nervousness returned ten-fold.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Hehehehe! How will Narcissa and Lucius react to Rose? Review and let me know how you're finding it!_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wonderous JKR!_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Two**

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><p><em>Visits always give pleasure –if not the arrival, the departure<em>

_~Portuguese Proverb_

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><p>Rose was dragging her feet at they exited King's Cross station. It was a cool, late December evening; snow lightly dusted the ground and threatened to fall from the cloudy sky up above. Rose could see her breath as she attempted to calm herself through even paced inhales and exhales. Cars slowly and carefully made their way through the slightly icy streets. It was the perfect image of winter in London, and Rose couldn't enjoy any of it.<p>

Her mind was a million miles away, swimming with images and scenarios of what meeting the senior Malfoys would entail. None were good. All involved gross embarrassment. Some even involved physical pain. Every ounce of her being was telling her not to go, not to follow the two Malfoys. She should turn around and take a cab or something to her uncles, or apparate to her grandparents.

"This way Rose, dear," Astoria called out, turning in to a back alley a few blocks from the train station. Rose hesitated at the opening. Stepping in to the alley would mean going forward with her Christmas plans. Once she stepped in to the dark and musty space, there would be no turning back.

A warm hand wrapped around her icy cold one. She looked up and saw the comforting deep gray eyes of her amazing boyfriend. He comfortingly squeezed her hand, then gently pulled her in to the alley. His presence calmed her slightly, and she went along. She still felt in the pit of her stomach that everything would go terribly wrong.

The suffocating, crushing sensation from apparition definitely didn't help.

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><p>Rose was so overwhelmed by her emotions and the apparition that when they landed in the backyard of the Malfoy's Greenwich townhome, her legs gave out. She landed with a thud on the snow covered ground. Both Astoria and Scorpius turned to look at her, concern clear on their faces. She waved them forward, not wanting them to worry about her, but so overwhelmed that she was unable to speak.<p>

The two Malfoy's exchanged a brief glance that, even in her addled state, Rose couldn't miss. Astoria then reluctantly headed towards the house, the shrunken baggage in her arms. Once his mother closed the back door, Scorpius slunk down and sat beside Rose. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"You okay?" he asked, concern evident in his tone. Rose was quiet for a few seconds longer, collecting her emotions.

"Honestly," Rose began, her voice soft and hesitant, "I don't know if I can handle all of this. I was nervous when it was just your parents. Spending all week with them is a big deal, a greater opportunity for them to see all my faults and realize you deserve better. But now, with your grandparents being here-" Rose buried her head in her hands and didn't continue her thought.

In the same moment, the skies that had been threatening to release its contents all night, opened up and snow began drifting down onto the world below. Rose lay back onto the grass and let the snow fall down on her face. Soon, Scorpius joined her in the grass and the two lay in silence watching the snow.

"My mum loves you, Rose. You're the daughter she'd never had and always wanted. She loves when you visit and she can get a reprieve from the, quote, 'moody masculinity' end quote that oozes off my father and me. And before you say that any female presence could do that, my mother is quite insistent that only you can truly help de-masculinize this place. My father finds you quite charming and bearable, which from him is as close to 'I like you' as anyone, except Mum, will ever get. Don't even worry about my grandparents. They have no sway over my parents anymore. Their opinion hardly matters. You've already impressed the only people you need to. Now, let's get inside where it's warm."

Scorpius stood from the snow, and shook off the few flakes that had fallen on him. He then turned to Rose and offered her his hand. She lay still for a moment, contemplating his words. She didn't completely believe him, but he had succeeded in comforting her to the point where her stomach wasn't twisted. Deciding to give Scorpius the benefit of the doubt, Rose extended her hand and grabbed his.

"You had better not be wrong."

The pair made their way slowly across the snow-covered lawn. Rose was delaying the inevitable, and she knew it. Yet she still couldn't force herself to go any faster. She was still dreading walking through the glowing back door and dealing with the prejudice and judgment of Narcissa and Lucius.

"Hurry up before you freeze or your cocoa get's cold." Astoria called out through the back door. Scorpius turned to smile mischievously at Rose, then began running towards the house. Rose was still against running to her doom, but was forced to increase her pace because Scorpius still held tightly onto her hand.

:Come on Rose, my Mum's cocoa is the best in all of London! You won't want to miss it, or drink it cold," Scorpius called back to Rose, trying to encourage a faster pace from her.

When Rose finally walked through the back door, she was hit by a blast of warm air and the smell of chocolate and cookies. The smell instantly calmed Rose as she was transported to her grandmum's. Scorpius dropped her hand once inside and, instead, grabbed her shoulders. He led her towards the small wooden kitchen table; Rose had always found it out of place. The Malfoy's kitchen made of dark woods, always impeccably tidy, and with harsh edges. The table was a light wood, most likely cheap pine, and fairly beat up. Rose had always wondered what they story was behind the table's inclusion in the otherwise pristine Malfoy kitchen.

"I've put your bags in your rooms; Scorpius can show you the guest room in a moment. For no, sit and enjoy your cocoa and warm up. It's absolutely freezing outside!" Having said her piece, Astoria swept out of the room, leaving the couple alone.

Rose took the seat Scorpius had led her to and eagerly reached for the warm plate of cookies. It was exactly what she needed after her stressful and nerve-racking day. She bit into the soft cookie and instantly had warm, melted chocolate filling her mouth. She relaxed in the chair and let all the stress melt off her.

She and Scorpius spent a good half an hour sitting at the well-used kitchen table, eating warm chocolate chip cookies and drinking sweet hot cocoa. Suddenly, Scorpius pushed his chair back and stood. Rose, half a cookie still in her hand, looked up at him quizzically.

"it's getting late. I should show you to your room so you can start getting ready for bed, and what not." Rose quickly shoved the rest of her cookie in her mouth and then stood and followed Scorpius. While she'd been to his house several times before, its expanse and confusing hallways always made it difficult to find her way through it. Scorpius must have given her the same tour at least half a dozen times. Still, as Rose followed Scorpius that night, she felt as if she was seeing many of the hallways for the first time.

"How do you not get lost?" Rose mused to herself quietly, though Scorpius heard her. He chuckled at her words.

"Everyone always says that," he commented," I've just grown up in these rooms and hallways, so they're basically a part of me. And this is your room." Scorpius stopped in front of a non-descript wooden door. Rose quickly realized that she hadn't been paying attention to Scorpius as he'd made his way through the house. She now had no idea where this room was in relation to the rest of the house. Scorpius obviously noticed the confused look on her face.

"You want a map or something?" he asked, his tone light and joking.

"Actually," Rose began, looking down at her feet, "it would be a great help." Rose was embarrassed at her request, but felt it vital. Without something telling her where to go, she was certain she'd never find her way around. Scorpius chuckled at her, but waved his wand and produced a piece of parchment with a map of the townhome. Little footprints denoted where Rose was.

"It's definitely less sophisticated than the Marauders' Map, but it'll tell you where you are at any given time. Hope it helps." Scorpius handed Rose the parchment and, in the same movement, leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Have a good sleep, and see you in the morning. My grandparents will be here tomorrow at dinner, so we'll have a whole day just for us."

"Okay," Rose responded, her face whitening at the mention of Scorpius' grandparents, "see you in the morning." The minutes the words had finished coming out of her mouth, she opened the door, entered the room, and quickly closed the door behind her. She stood, leaning against the door, waiting for Scorpius to leave. Her actions had obviously stunned him because it was several seconds before Rose heard retreating footsteps. When she could no longer hear his footfalls, she slid down the door and buried her head in her hands.

This was going to be a long, stressful week.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Let me know what you think so far!_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR!_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy "Family" Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Three**

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><p><em>We dance around in a ring and suppose<em>

_While the secret sits in the middle and knows_

_~Robert Frost_

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><p>Her bed was, by far, the most comfortable she'd ever slept in. it was soft, yet still firm enough that she didn't sink down into fluff. It was warm and cozy, yet not so warm that she was sweating. It was the perfect size that, if she lay in the middle and stretched out all of her extremities, none of her hung off the bed. Yet, despite all of that, Rose still could not sleep.<p>

Her nerves were shot and she was far too wired to drift off into dreamland. Even after sitting on the floor in front of her door for nearly half an hour, she still could not fall asleep. Deciding that lying in bed staring at the ceiling was not going to help with anything. Rose threw off the covers and made her way to an elegant armchair located in the corner of the room.

After finally dragging herself up off the floor earlier that evening, her butt had fallen asleep and started hurting her, she'd deposited her bag and the map Scorpius had given her on the elegant chair and then collapsed on the bed. Three hours later, she was no closer to sleep, surprisingly hungry, and in need of the map to find the kitchen.

Rose found the bag and began digging through it until she felt her fingers brush an exceptionally thick piece of parchment. With a skip of her heart, Rose closed her fingers around it and pulled it out. She then returned to the foot of the bed, and the small settee where she'd thrown her jeans. After retrieving her wand from the back pocket, a practice her parents had always warned her against, Rose finally made to leave her room.

However, as she reached out for her doorknob, she heard the light patter of footsteps hurrying past in the hallway. She froze. Food at all hours of the night was an allowed and fully endorsed practice at her house, but what if that was not the case at the Malfoy's. Rose hesitated at the door for several seconds, debating her next move.

In the silence of the night, her stomach rumbled and echoed. Her decision was made. She turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door, still unsure if it was allowed to be out of bed this late at night. Finding no one in the hall, she quietly shut the door, and then pulled out her wand.

"Lumos," she whispered, lighting her wand. She quickly took a look at the map Scorpius had given her. Once she oriented herself and figured out how to get to the kitchen, she put out her wand and began moving quietly. She picked her way down the hallway, only stopping once. About four doors down from her own, carved into an elegant mahogany door were the initials _SHM. _

Rose stood outside the door, contemplating knocking on it and waking Scorpius up. A smile crossed her face as the thought brought all the late nights she and Scorpius had spent together, in the library or the Heads' Common Room. They could spend hours talking about the most inane topics and neither one would be bored or want to stop.

Her stomach rumbled once more, breaking Rose from her stroll down memory lane. She took a quick look around, worried her stomach may have been loud enough to alert someone to her presence. When she found no one, she continued on towards the kitchen. She decided to let Scorpius sleep; he may have been a night owl, but if you woke him from his sleep, he'd rip you head off.

She quickly found the stairs at the back of the house that led directly to the kitchen. Rose inwardly wondered why Scorpius hadn't taken her that way to her room earlier, but chose not to dwell on it further. She carefully descended the stairs, hoping that no one had a creak that would wake up the house.

Halfway down, she froze. Voices rose from the kitchen below. She nearly turned and headed back up the stairs, deciding that her night-time adventure was a bust. Then a single word rose from the muddled conversation.

"Weasley."

Rose didn't know who said it, or even who the participants in the conversation were. All she knew was that they were talking about her or a member of her family. She crept a little closer, her previous plan of retreat long forgotten. Now, all that she was interested in was finding out who was talking about Weasley and why.

She reached the end of the spiral staircase and peaked around the corner briefly. Sitting at the old wooden table, cups of some sort of steaming beverage in their hands, were Narcissa and Astoria. Rose ducked back behind the edge of the stairs, musing about the strangeness of seeing the prim and proper Narcissa Malfoy sitting at an old, chipped table.

"I don't really care, Narcissa, honestly. All I care about is that Scorpius is happy. Frankly, Lucius' approval is the farthest thing from my mind." Astoria's voice was confident and she emphasized it by forcefully putting down her cup.

"I know you don't Astoria, and Draco may say he doesn't either. On some level, though, I think he still does, and that's where my concern lies. I, like you, am only looking out for my son's happiness." Narcissa's word, too, were confident and purposeful. Both were strong women who were unlikely to back down from their point.

"Draco respects both Lucius' opinion and yours. All I'm suggesting is maybe, for this week at least, we only hear one opinion." Rose heard Astoria punctuate her sentence by sipping her beverage. In the polite, yet tense, power struggle that had just transpired, it would appear that Astoria had won.

"I make no promises, Astoria," Narcissa responded, confirming Rose's suspicions. A scraping noise echoed from the kitchen. "Now, if you'll excuse my, it's very late and I am positively exhausted. I'll see you in the morning." Rose then heard the sound of retreating footsteps echoing through the kitchen.

Rose copied Narcissa Malfoy and turned and retreated back up the winding staircase. Her stomach was long forgotten as she digested the meaning behind the power struggle she overheard. Lucius Malfoy did not approve of her; that much was plainly clear. She shouldn't have expected anything else from him; after all she was a Weasley. Still, having it spelled out for her was a little hard to take.

She finally reached the door and turned the handle. The nerves she'd been recently feeling finally caught up with her and Rose was absolutely exhausted. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and fall deep into sleep. She quietly plodded across the carpeted floor and climbed into bed, clothes still on.

"Huh, what?" Scorpius moaned, still half asleep. Rose had tried to be as careful and quiet as possible so as to not wake him up. Apparently, she'd failed miserably as she'd gotten into bed.

"Your grandfather hates me," Rose blurted out. She quickly grabbed Scorpius' comforter and pulled it up over her head, wanting to disappear until Friday.

"Okay then," Scorpius responded. By the moment of the bed, Rose could tell Scorpius had gotten out. She felt bad about waking him up and kicking him out of bed. She'd have to make it up to him later.

After a few minutes of silence, Rose heard clinking and peaked out of her covers to discover the source. Scorpius had summoned a coffee set and was in the process of pouring himself some.

"Isn't it a little late for coffee?" she asked.

"Yes, but you're upset. If I'm going to talk you off this ledge, I'm going to need to be at least semi-conscious." He finished preparing his coffee then returned to bed. "Okay, now tell me everything." Rose smiled slightly. He was far too good for her. She would spend an eternity trying to pay him back for everything he did for her.

Rose sighed, moved in closer to him, and began relaying her most recent nerve-wracking experience.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Reviews are much appreciated!_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>A Malfoy "Family" Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Four**

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><p><em>A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step<em>

_~Lao Tzu_

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><p>The warm sun hitting her face was the first thing she felt that morning. Slowly, she stretched out her limbs, relieving her body of its sleep-induced stiffness. She carefully rolled over in the bed, worry about falling off it. However, when she reached out her arm and expected it to fall over the edge of the bed, she found it still supported on bed. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the blue and bronze of her dorm room at Hogwarts. Instead, she was met with wall-to-wall green.<p>

It took her whip-smart brain only a few seconds to process the disconnect and provide an answer. She wasn't at Hogwarts, but at the Malfoys'. She wasn't in her small bed in the Ravenclaw dorm room but in Scorpius' expansive bed. She rolled over in the bed, expecting to see Scorpius' prone sleeping form. Instead, she found an empty bed.

She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and looked around the room. It was completely devoid of all other human life; she was alone. She frowned slightly at that realisations, then flung the covers off herself and got out of bed. A quick glance at the clock told her that she'd slept much longer than she had been able to over the past few years.

Upon realising the lateness of the hour, she hurried out of Scorpius' room and down the hall to hers. She pulled her messy, frizzy, bed-head hair into a ponytail and exchanged her overlarge t-shirt for lettings and a cute, slightly over-sized plaid shirt. She then hurried out the door, hoping that there would still be breakfast when she arrived.

She was still rushing when she got to the kitchen, and she didn't notice the lip between the hallway and the kitchen. She hit it just right and, instead of gracefully entering like she planned, she nearly ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor. Luckily, she caught herself before that happened and just clumsily stumbled in.

She hoped and prayed that she was so late to breakfast that no one else was currently in the kitchen. Focusing from her shoes to the rest of the kitchen, her heart dropped. Sitting at the table, clearly having witnessed her less than graceful entrance, were Scorpius Malfoy and his father. Rose blushed bright red and looked back down at the floor. She shuffled over to the table and sat down, still looking down.

"Morning," Scorpius spoke, a slight chuckle in his tone. Rose only blushed brighter red.

"Morning," she mumbled before reaching for a bagel. Had it just been Scorpius sitting at the table, her embarrassment would not have been so large. But the fact that she'd had her major klutz moment in front of Draco made it so much worse.

"I'd better be off," Draco spoke, rising from his seat. Rose momentarily peaked up from her stare down with the table. Draco fixed his robes and nodded politely to Rose. "Let your mum know I'll be home in time for dinner. So she shouldn't worry, even though we both know she will." Scorpius nodded in acknowledgement and smiled slightly at his mother's often neurotic worrying.

Having said his piece, Draco headed to the fireplace, grabbed some powder from the intricate flowerpot, and disappeared in a flash of green. With his departure, Rose's embarrassment lessened. Slowly, she raised her head and, more eagerly, began preparing her breakfast.

"Nice entrance, by the way," Scorpius ribbed, casually taking a sip of his tea.

"Glad you liked it," Rose responded, her usual oomph lacking. The event was still too fresh for the auburn haired girl to joke about it. Sensing that Rose was in no mood to discuss that morning's events, Scorpius skilfully, and wisely, changed the subject.

"So, I was thinking I'd show you around Greenwich today. Show you all the best sports and some of my favourite places. What do you think? Sound like any fun?" Scorpius put down his tea and looked questioningly at Rose.

"Honestly, at this moment, I'd rather be anywhere else but here," Rose responded, taking a rather large bite of her bagel.

"Excellent."

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><p>Rose stood on the sidewalk, looking back at the Malfoy townhouse. With the magically enhanced Christmas decorations, the undisturbed snow, and the slight puff of smoke from the fireplace, the house looked as if it belonged on a Christmas card or in a muggle Christmas movie. Rose's house always ended up looking haphazard and imperfect, nothing like the perfection that was the Malfoy's.<p>

"You're staring," Scorpius spoke softly into her ear.

"It's just so perfect," Rose responded, her voice filled with daze and amusement. Scorpius chuckled.

"I bet your house looks ten times better. My mom always stresses about how our house looks. It's the one thing from her mother's etiquette lessons and constant drilling of pureblood values that stuck with her. When decorating a house for the holidays, nothing other than Christmas card perfection is acceptable. Your house probably looks all homey and lived in and not perfect."

"And it drives my mother up the wall. My dad always ends up ruining her well-thought-out decorating plans, and our house ends up looking like a Christmas elf tore through it in a decorating frenzy."

"See, yours is much more homey than mine. Now let's go!" Scorpius grabbed her gloved hand and dragged her away from the Malfoy house. She'd spent the past five minutes just standing there after the flawlessness of the decorations caught her attention.

"Only because of my dad. I'm sure my mom would absolutely love your house. I know I do!" Rose continued talking as Scorpius pulled her down the sidewalk. It wasn't until the rounded the corner and the Malfoy house disappeared from her field of view that Rose actually began walking alongside him.

"After that amazingness Greenwich had better be the most spectacular thing I've ever seen," Rose commented as the pair entwined their hands and headed into what Rose hoped would be a relaxing day with her boyfriend and not his family.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__More filler than anything, but hoped you enjoyed it anyway! Review please!_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Five**

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><p><em>Relax, take it easy<em>

_~Relax (Take it Easy), Mika_

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><p>Rose sat on the bench in the park, her thick coat, and the warming charm it was imbued with, keeping her from freezing, barely. She watched across the park as a group of young children, no older than ten, played in the snow. They threw snowballs at each other, built forts and snowmen, and simply lay in the snow watching the white flakes fall from the sky.<p>

Despite her family's extremely close ties to the muggle world, Rose had never understood the muggle population's ability to last for long periods in the cold without magic to keep them warm. If she hadn't had magic, she would not be out at the park; she absolutely detested the cold.

Scorpius nudged Rose slightly and brought her back out of her thoughts.

"You okay?" he asked, obviously picking up on her less than positive attitude.

"Yes. I'm fine," she answered honestly, knowing that her detestation of frigid temperatures should not be enough to ruin the otherwise pleasant day. "I just thought showing me around would include more shopping or visiting museums, or, well, anything inside really. It is rather cold out today." To emphasise her point, she breathed out a puff of air and quickly rubbed her hands together in a traditional warming motion.

"I said I wanted to show you my favourite places," Scorpius responded, nudging her slightly in the side. Rose could see why he liked the park; it was absolutely breathtaking, even in the middle of winter. The wild field and playground where Rose sat on a bench contained various paths, a football pitch, and a large open green space for other activities. It was surrounded on all sides by large trees that, when fully leaved, isolated the park from the rest of the world. She was sure, in the middle of summer when filled with people, it was quite the oasis from the hustle and bustle of the rest of London.

"You need to find more indoor favourite places," Rose muttered to herself. However, Scorpius must have overheard her because, almost as if out of nowhere, he stood suddenly.

"You're right. It is getting fairly cold out. Just down the road there," he pointed through the trees that seemed to continue on forever, "is the best hot cocoa you will have ever experienced. Its warm and indoors; you up for it?" Giving it less than a second of though, Rose stood and began trudging through the deep snow in the direction Scorpius had pointed.

Scorpius quickly caught up with her and interlaced her gloved hand with hers. Rose smiled up at him. This vacation had started off rather poorly, but, if it continued in its current direction, Rose would be spending every Christmas from then until eternity at the Malfoys.

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><p>She should have known that, when Scorpius had pointed down that extremely long street, the coffee shop he wanted to take her to was at the end of it. She was sure they'd been walking for hours and still, Scorpius was not slowing down or moving to enter any of the shops on the street.<p>

The street itself was quite quaint. It was filled with independent mom and pop stores that sold unique, handmade goods. She made a mental note to come back with a few of her cousins in the summer and actually visit those shops. She was sure she'd find plenty of things that no one else had or would ever have. A result of having a large family who often received similar gifts at Christmas and on birthdays because it made it easier, Rose was always on the hunt for unique.

However, at that moment, Rose was so cold that all she was focused on was finding somewhere to warm up, and fast.

"Are we almost there?" Rose asked for the fourth time since they'd left the park. Her naiveté had led her to believe that the coffee shop was just around the corner from the park.

"You've asked that already," Scorpius responded, a slight chuckle beneath his words.

"And?" Rose inquired, her annoyance at the whole situation showing through.

"The answer is the same as the last time you asked. It's just at the end of this block," Scorpius motioned up the street, obviously to some building, but which Rose did not know.

"See, know I think you're lying to me because I'm sure you said that three or four blocks ago. We've been walking for hours. Next time, just take me to a nearby place, even if it only has mediocre hot cocoa. I'll gladly drink only decent cocoa in exchange for quick warmth." Rose continued to prattle on about her desire to be warm. She was so focused with her speech that she didn't realise Scorpius had stopped walking. When she did, she turned to see him standing next to a shop with elaborately decorated windows.

"I told you it wasn't far," he simply spoke before turning and entering the shop. Rose quickly ran back to where he was and followed him in. She was met with a blast of warmth and instantly her mood brightened.

"This place had better have really amazing cocoa," she spoke, not wanting to give Scorpius the ego boost of saying he was right. She marched up to the barista and ordered the largest hot cocoa the store had and several gingerbread cookies that were in the baked goods display by the register.

She collected her goods and found Scorpius at a seat. She joined him, offered him a cookie, and then took a sip of the cocoa. Instantly, Rose was transported to a far off land where absolutely nothing could go wrong.

"Was I right, or was I right?" Scorpius asked after seeing her expression. Rose simply stuck out her tongue and continued drinking.

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><p>For the rest of the day, Scorpius took her through several of the boutique shops they had passed on the way to the coffee shop. Rose had finished her cocoa in the shop and then ordered another to go, so the brief intervals between the shop were much more bearable than the walk out had been.<p>

Rose had been right. She found several items in the stores that she was sure could not be found anywhere else. She bought several different things for her family members and even a few for herself. As well, there were quite a few items that she added to a mental shopping list to revisit and buy when she had the money to do so.

While Greenwich was fairly different from her hometown of Chudley, and she'd never much cared for the large crowds or larger centers like Greater London, Rose could see the appeal. Seeing it with Scorpius as a tour guide, and seeing it through his eyes, made her start to reconsider her previous opinion.

Shopping, surprisingly, took up the rest of the afternoon and, as they exited a bookstore where Rose had bought a day planner for both of her parents, Scorpius suggested they head home. At first, Rose was a little taken a back, still thinking it was the middle of the afternoon. Then, she looked up at the sky and saw the sun had disappeared below the horizon and painted the sky with brilliant shades of reds and oranges.

"Alright," Rose agreed reluctantly, looking back up the street longingly. Scorpius chuckled.

"I knew you'd like Greenwich," Scorpius responded. He then grabbed her hand and led her back towards his house. Being such a heavily trafficked area, the amount of muggles around made it impossible to apparate.

It was nearly dark by the time the pair finally arrived back to Scorpius' house. Rose quickly walked up the front pathway, wanting to escape from the rapidly declining temperature. She had finished her cocoa a while ago and had lost the warmth it provided.

Finally, Scorpius caught up with her and opened the door, allowing her to enter the warm house. She quickly set about removing the countless layers she had donned to combat the cold winter weather. She was just pulling off her jumper when Astoria appeared from the kitchen.

"Ah good, you're home. Your father will be home in fifteen minutes so you two should head upstairs and get ready for dinner. You know how much your grandparents hate to be made to wait." Astoria then turned on her heel and returned to the kitchen.

All previous happy emotions Rose had been feeling slipped away as she digested the reminder of Scropius' grandparents. In her joy of the day, she'd forgotten about having to meet Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Suddenly, Greenwich wasn't as a a place a she'd thought.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Review please!_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Six**

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><p><em>Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood. <em>

_~Shakespeare_

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><p>The stairs felt as if they would go on forever. Rose wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was bad in that, by the time she eventually got to the top of the stairs she would be exhausted. It was good in that it would waste an exceedingly large amount of time that would otherwise be spent sitting at dinner with the Malfoys. She climbed the stairs, debating internally whether or not it was good or bad.<p>

She reached the top after what felt like a solid twenty minutes, but was probably more like twenty seconds. She paused at the top and turned around, surveying the mountain she'd just ascended and heard the sounds of drinking glasses and flatware. Instantly, the mountain seemed even larger.

Rose sighed. This was going to be a long night.

She then began shuffling towards he room, attempting to prolong the inevitable for as long as possible. Unlike the stairs, the hallway appeared compact and before she knew it she was at her door. She really hoped time and space figured itself out before dinner. Otherwise, she might get whiplash or something.

She opened her door, mentally debating what would be appropriate to wear to a Malfoy dinner. Then she saw it. Laid out on her bed like a glowing sign, was the most beautiful gold dress she'd ever seen. Rose was not a dress person; she'd usually only wear them if she was forced to. The dress that was laid out on her bed may just change her mind on that matter.

It was knee length, strapless, and shimmered in the light. It was tasteful, covering all the important parts with a decent amount of fabric, yet still showed enough skin that Rose felt sexy. Rose had never seen, let alone worn, such an elegant dress. For a few seconds she even debated putting it on. Surely such an amazing dress was not meant for her. She was certain it cost more money than all the books she ever owned combined, which was saying something.

A knock sounded at the door, and Rose called for their entry. The door opened and Astoria entered. She smiled warmly at Rose, took a quick glance from the copper haired girl to the dress still laying on the bed.

"It's for you to wear for dinner tonight. Scorpius' grandparents prefer formal dinners. I figured, since you didn't know they would be here, you probably hadn't packed anything for such an occasion. You don't have to wear the dress if you don't want to. I just thought I'd give you the option." As Astoria was talking, she walked over to the bed and sat down.

"It's… spectacular," Rose stated, "but it's too much. It looks really expensive and I would feel wrong wearing it." Astoria simply chuckled at Rose.

"You don't have to wear it. Just thought it was a good option. Dinner is in twenty minutes either way." The elegant dark haired Malfoy then stood and glided out of the room. The door clicked shut behind her.

Once she was certain she was alone again, Rose carefully grabbed the dress and held it up against her frame. She then turned to look for the mirror and took in the sight of her and the dress.

In that instant, Rose made her decision.

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><p>The sound of light, pleasant chatter emanated from the dinning room. Rose descended the final few steps of the staircase with her confidence growing. Pleasant conversation strongly indicated the absence of the Malfoy grandparents. From the conversation she'd overheard the night before, had Narcissa and Lucius been present at the table, the conversation would have been curt and tense.<p>

Rose had a slight bounce in her step at the prospect of a dinner without the judgement and scorn that Rose was sure the two elder Malfoys, one more so than the other, would bring. She nearly skipped into the room, her golden dress swaying with her cheerful movement. The light plodding of her footsteps drew the attention of the occupants of the room.

Rose's growing confidence plummeted.

Sitting to the right of the head of the table, looking every bit as regal as Rose imagined she would be, was Narcissa Malfoy. The rest of the Malfoy's sat around the table leaving two empty chairs. One, Rose assumed was for her. The other, the chair at the head of the table, Rose assumed, was for the other missing Malfoy.

Lucius was nowhere to be seen, a fact that made Rose very happy.

She quickly made her way to the closet empty chair, starting to feel self-conscious. Even though she had only stood in the doorway for half a minute surveying the room, the eyes on her made her feel uncomfortable. Growing up as a member of a large family, Rose was quite unaccustomed to being the center of the attention. On the rare occasion that she did have the spotlight on her, Rose grew awkward and unsure of herself. She then quickly tried to get out of the spotlight, which was what she was attempting to do just then.

As soon as Rose sat down, a house elf appeared in the door to the kitchen. The elf looked at Astoria expectantly and the dark haired woman nodded. Then, with the snap of the elf's fingers, mountains of food appeared on the large silver serving dishes that covered the elegant dinning table.

"Dinner is served," the elf squeaked before disappearing back into the kitchen. Rose took in the meal in front of her. In the middle sat potatoes, salads, and other like dishes surrounded a good-sized turkey. Rose was certain that even if everyone at the table ate two entire platefuls, there would still be enough to feed a small army.

The auburn haired witch quickly began filling her plate with food. Light pleasant conversation erupted around her. Astoria and Draco discussed their day and household matters. Narcissa quizzed Scorpius about his semester at school. For that brief period of time, Rose was no longer the center of attention. She allowed herself to relax, take in the atmosphere, and begin to enjoy the dinner.

"Eh hem," the sound of someone clearing their throat pulled everyone from their task. Almost simultaneously, everyone at the table turned to look at the entrance to the dinning room. Standing in the archway, looking regal and annoyed, was Lucius Malfoy. "I see you chose not to wait for me."

His comment was both matter of fact and chillingly cold. Instantly, Rose felt guilty for starting to eat and not waiting for the Malfoy patriarch. She wished she could fetch a time turner and go back to the start of diner. Intellectually, she knew that it was ridiculous to feel so remorseful over the simple act of not waiting to eat. That was the power of Lucius Malfoy.

"You said you'd be late and that we should start without you," Narcissa responded, taking a bite of a potato as she said it. Inwardly, Rose approved of Narcissa's bold and brash action and wished she could behave in a similar manner.

Lucius didn't respond, simply took his seat at the head of the table. He began filling his plate and eating. Slowly, the other members at the table began eating as well. Rose, new to Lucius' behaviour, was the last to recover from the guilt trip. By the time she once again remembered her food Lucius was talking once more.

"So, how has your semester been, Scorpius?" Lucius asked. To Rose, Lucius appeared to be avoiding looking at her, but she was sure that was just her being paranoid.

"it's been good, grandfather. The work has been trying but I've been able to keep on top of everything," Scorpius responded. Rose remembered a conversation she'd had with Scorpius several months prior. Scorpius had told her that the best way to survive his grandfather was to answer all questions with as little detail as possible. The less information given to Lucius, the less he had to use against you.

"I assume you're at the top of your class. There's no other place for a Malfoy to be." Lucius gave Scorpius a poignant look.

"I am top in some classes, grandfather. Rose is much better at charms than I am," Scorpius looked over and smiled at her as he spoke.

"Ah," Lucius responded, briefly glancing at Rose, "well, there's still time. By the end of the year, you'll be top in all classes and take your rightful place above all the lesser people at that school." Lucius once again glanced over at Rose as he said the last part. Evidently, it was clearly directed at her. She was one of the lesser people.

"Lucius," Narcissa chided, obviously warning him to stay away from his current line of conversation.

"Malfoys are the best the wizarding world has to offer. They need to continue to show the world that fact. After the last few years, it seems people have forgotten that fact and need to be reminded of it. Even within this family it would appear."

"Astoria and I believe that Scorpius is doing extremely well and are more than pleased with where he is at," Draco interjected. Lucius turned to his son and squinted his eyes slightly.

"I'm not sure about your judgement recently, Draco," Lucius responded. He then quickly glanced at Rose, and this time, she couldn't write it off as paranoia.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Draco asked, his jaw clenching slightly.

"Your judgement and choices lead to our current predicament. Obviously it is flawed if inviting certain people," as he said it, Lucius looked directly at Rose, removing any possibly doubt of who he was talking about, "for Christmas vacation seemed like a good idea."

As soon as Lucius finished his statement, Draco jumped up, causing his chair to make a loud scraping noise as it was pushed out behind her. His jaw and fists were clenched tightly in rage.

"Enough!" Draco shouted, "let me remind you that you, too, were invited here. If you question my decisions or go against my world I will have you leave and you will not be welcomed back into this house!"

"Draco-" his mother, Narcissa chided.

"I taught you better than this Draco; that is no way to talk to your father." The only sign of Lucius' agitation was the thin line of his drawn mouth.

"I am not a child any longer, father. I am the man of this house and I will speak in it however I wish!" Draco then threw down his napkin and stormed out of the kitchen. Astoria quickly stood and followed after him.

The other members of the table simply sat in stunned silence. All except Lucius, who continued on eating as if nothing had happened.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Reviews always appreciated!_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

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><p><em>RECONCILIATION: n. A suspension of hostilities. An armed truce for the purpose of digging up the dead.<em>

_~Ambrose Bierce_

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><p>Rose woke from a fitful sleep, feeling exhausted. The complete opposite of well rested. All night long, she'd tossed and turned. Lucius Malfoy's words from the night before had rolled around her mind all night long. Sure, for the entirety of the day of her arrival Rose had been incapacitated by nerves, nit, if she was being honest with herself, she hadn't truly believed her worst case scenarios would come true.<p>

And then, Lucius had arrived at dinner and opened his mouth.

Rose had been completely blindsided and utterly unprepared for what Lucius had said. Her family had always discussed Lucius cruelty ad nauseam, but she had always thought they were exaggerating. Surely, she thought, no human being, even with the darkest of hearts, could have been that cruel. Now that she'd encountered it first hand, she realised the naiveté in her early beliefs.

And so, Rose lay awake for most of the night.

Finally, at 7:38 am, Rose could lay still no longer. She decided to head downstairs, scrounge up a breakfast, and sit in front of a fire in the kitchen and read her book.

As she threw the covers of her bed off, an icy chill hit her. She quickly found her oversized Chudley Cannon's sweater and pulled it on over her white tank top. Instantly, she was warmed. She then tied her perpetually frizzy hair in a messy bun. Deeming herself ready, she headed out towards the kitchen.

The house was fairly dark, and Rose had to carefully pick her way down the hallway towards the stairs. When she reached the top step, she looked down and saw a warm glow from the bottom in the direction of the kitchen. Instantly curious about what was causing the glow, Rose picked up her pace as she descended the stairs. She was certain that, as all the inhabitants of the Malfoy house had time off from work and school, no one else would be voluntarily up this early.

She cleared the last step, and turned into the kitchen. She froze. Sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet and sipping a large cup of coffee, was Draco Malfoy. Rose quickly looked down, surveying her outfit, and cringed. She was wearing her large purple sweater and a pair of ripped, baggy plaid pyjama pants. It was definitely not an outfit one wanted to meet the father or their significant other in, especially after the events of the previous night.

While Draco had been the one to stand up against Lucius' tirade against her, Rose was still unsure of what exactly Draco thought of her. He had stood up against his father, but not really in defence of her. It had been, or so it seemed to Rose, mostly in defence of his decision-making. He had not made it explicitly clear if he found her presence amiable or distasteful.

Not sure, after all the drama of the night before, if she was up to spending 'quality alone time' with Draco, Rose turned to leave. She could easily read her book in bed and wait for an hour or two to pass and more people to wake. However, as she made to leave, her clothing rustled and Draco looked up from his paper.

"Good morning, Miss. Weasley," he stated simply, before returning to his paper. Leaving now, Rose felt, would be the epitome of indecency. Instead of her previous plan, Rose slunk into the kitchen and took the farthest seat from Draco.

As soon as Rose sat, a coffee cup and the Malfoy house elf appeared before her. Rose was a little caught off guard and simply sat for several seconds, blinking at the small creature.

"What can Wigsly prepare for the young Master Scorpius' lady friend?" the elf squeaked.

"Coffee and some oatmeal, please," Rose replied, her voice almost as squeaky as the elf's. being alone with the enigmatic Draco Malfoy was wreaking absolute havoc on her already frayed nerves. Thankfully, Draco didn't seem to register her high-pitched voice, or chose to ignore it.

Rose anxiously awaited for the arrival of her food, or someone to break the rapidly growing awkward silence between her and Draco. Rose had thought that, at the most, her oatmeal would take three or four minutes to prepare. However, after five minutes of silently waiting, the house else had yet to return.

A light rustling caught Rose's attention; she hoped it was indicating the arrival of someone. Unfortunately for Rose, the sound had simply been the rustling of Mr. Malfoy's paper as he finished reading it and put it down on the table in front of him. Rose turned back to the spot the house elf had been, continuing to try and will the elf to return.

"I want to apologize." The words cut through the silence as loudly as a train whistle or a clap of thunder directly overhead. At first, Rose wasn't sure she'd heard them right. Surely, Mr. Malfoy hadn't just said he wanted to apologise. Never once, in all the school stories about or including Draco Malfoy that Rose had ever heard, had he apologized for anything, even when he was obviously wrong. That couldn't be what he'd just said.

Rose turned to look at Draco, a confused expression on her face. She hoped he would read his face and clarify what he'd just said. She found Draco was not looking at her, but down at Whatever was in his coffee cup.

"Last night was-. Well, last night was my father staying true to himself. I'd really hoped he'd actually changed. I knew his public persona of a reformed individual was, for the most part, and act. I'd just hoped that pretending to be decent for so long would have had at least some effect on him. Turns out I was wrong. I should never have invited him here over the holidays. I apologize for my poor decision." As he spoke, Draco slowly lifted his head, eventually looking her directly in the eye as he apologized.

Rose was absolutely stunned. The Draco her parents had described had worshipped his father. To now call his father indecent and recognize so fully his father's flaws showed how much he had changed. Rose made a mental note to mention it to her parents.

"It's quite alright. He wasn't all that terrible last night," Rose responded, looking down. She didn't completely agree with her words, Lucius had been pretty terrible, but she didn't want Draco feeling bad about it. It was Lucius' fault for upsetting her, not Draco's.

"That's nice of you to say," Draco responded, "but it's not true. My father was truly terrible, saying all those things. In front of you, no less. I am truly sorry." Rose looked up briefly, wanting to see his face. Draco's expression showed complete remorse, mirroring his words.

"I'd also like you to know that I don't agree with one single thing he said. I think you are an excellent girl. Bright, intelligent, caring. Scorpius seems very happy around you, also. Astoria and I very happy to have you visiting for Christmas."

Rose was, once again, completely stunned. All previous ambiguity she felt surrounding Draco and his opinion of her was removed. Draco thought she was bright! She couldn't believe it.

She knew she should say something in return; thank him or something. She was just far too stunned. She sat there for several seconds, trying to come up with the right words. Nothing she thought of sounded good enough. Then, her good fortune kicked in.

A light pop sounded, and the Malfoy's house elf reappeared with Rose's breakfast request. Simultaneously, Scorpius walked in to the kitchen and sat down at the table. In that time, Draco had picked up his newspaper and returned to reading it.

"Morning," Scorpius spoke, before turning to Wigsly and ordering his breakfast. Rose and Mr. Malfoy responded in kind. "What would you like to do today?" Scorpius asked Rose.

"Honestly," Rose spoke, her words returning to her, "I'm feeling a little behind on my schoolwork. If you'd be fine with it, I'd like to get some of it done today."

Scorpius agreed and then the trio lapsed into silence, occasionally broken by amicable conversation. All throughout breakfast, Rose kept glancing at Mr. Malfoy, unsure if their conversation had actually happened or if she'd imagined it all.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Reviews much appreciated! _


	9. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR_

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

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><p><em>A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?<em>

_~Anonymous_

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><p>Books encircled her completely. Each opened to a page filled with text descriptions or images of various magical theories, practices, and the like. Her eyes flitted across the pages and her pen danced across the parchment as she worked to complete one of the countless essays that had been assigned to her over the brief break.<p>

For Rose, this was her happy place. When she lost herself completely in her work, became solely focused on that task at hand, all other worries disappeared. All the stress, worry, concern, and head-scrambling confusion vanished from her conscious mind. All that her brain contained was the information she needed to complete her essay.

Scorpius chucked at the sight. Rose momentarily looked up at him, and shot him a glare. They had studied in such a manner countless times before. Rose always spread out and encircled herself in books, then lost herself in work. Scorpius neatly organized his books in a pile and retrieved them as needed. The pair had, for hours and ad nauseam, debated their work habits, trying to justify theirs and display its superiority. As a result, Rose was unsure why, after such exposure to her and her habits, Scorpius was still amused at her.

Even at her look, Scorpius continued to chuckle.

"What?" Rose asked, slightly annoyed that he was distracting her from her work, especially when she was so close to being done.

"It sill never ceases to amaze me, how focused and in your work you can get. Still to this day, it amuses me to watch you work." With every word he spoke, the chuckle in his voice grew.

"Well," Rose quipped, turning away from him and back to work, "just be amused more quietly. Some of us are trying to complete our essays."

Scorpius simply continued laughing at her, getting louder and more mirthful with each passing second. Rose eventually got so annoyed with him, she picked up a book, enchanted it with a feather-light charm, and tossed it at the blonde's head.

The book made contact with a satisfying thud. Scorpius, not hurt as a result of the lightening charm, was still stunned by the action. He sat still, blinking, as his brain processed the information.

"What-what did you just-? Did you just throw a book at my head?" Scorpius' voice was shocked, but also laced with a slight edge. For a few seconds, Rose was worried she'd gone too far. Then a smile burst across the young Malfoy's face and he broke out in extremely infectious laughter. Despite her best efforts, Rose soon found herself laughing along, her work long forgotten.

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><p>Unbeknownst to the joyous pair set up in the Malfoy's study, a book on a high bookshelf was silently slid back into place, blocking off the small peephole that he had created for the sole purpose of spying on the pair. His fingers clenched in anger, tensing every muscle in his body. He could not stand to see such fraternizing occurring under his very own nose.<p>

His own flesh and blood, the product of thousands of years of the best breeding in all wizarding world, was throwing everything he and countless other Malfoys had slaved over and spent countless hours acquiring. Blood status and influence were not things easily obtained, and yet here was Scorpius, willingly throwing it all away for a half-blood!

He had to do something about it, before it was too late to do anything.

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><p>Rose was finding the nights easier to sleep through. All the anxiety that had kept her up the first night was slowly ebbing away with each moment of joy or excitement she experienced. Now, on the morning of the third day, Rose awoke for the first time in her stay there feeling completely rested. She stretched out like a cat, straining her muscles in a satisfying way. She then got out of bed, fully prepared for whatever the day had in store.<p>

Yesterday had been so drama free and enjoyable that Rose hoped it repeat it. She figured, if she was optimistic about the day, and began it with the most positive attitude she could, the day would go in her favour.

She was just enjoying the peacefulness of the morning, putting the finishing touches on her outfit, when all her optimism came crashing down around her. Rose's quiet morning was shattered by the sounds of a loud argument occurring fairly close by. While her hopes of a pleasant day dropped, her curiosity was spiked.

Who was arguing? And why?

Rose absolutely had to get to the bottom of the mystery. She pulled on her cardigan, grabbed her wand and quietly headed out her door. She crept down the hallway, following the raised voices. The closer to their source she got, the louder and clearer they became. Finally, Rose found herself in front of a set of large double doors. Determining it as the source of the argument, Rose pressed her ear against the door to hear better. In that instant, she wished she'd thought to bring an extendable ear.

Without possessing one, Rose performed a charm to temporarily enhance her hearing and make her momentarily invisible. She didn't want anyone coming across her as she nosily overheard a conversation. She then slipped her wand back in her pocket and once again pressed to the door.

"It's blasphemy! An abomination! It's flying directly in the face of all that our ancestors have done and created! We must act! We must do something to stop it!" a voice Rose recognized as Lucius Malfoy spoke.

"Lucius!" a second, feminine, voice that Rose guessed was Narcissa Malfoy, exclaimed. "You're sounding absolutely insane! You cannot say those things! Mustn't truly believe them! Such things are just so terrible!"

"What I speak of it not terrible! It is the truth! You, too, once thought the same. Mixing of blood, having muggles and mudbloods wed wizards is not acceptable! Scorpius should know this! Should know that if he continues to fraternize with the Weasley girl," he spat it out with such distaste, "he will bring shame and disfavour on the Malfoy name!"

"No!" Narcissa's voice was strong, commanding and icy cold. Rose was sure it was a voice that could make even the most stubborn individual do as she asked. "This talk that you are spouting, these archaic ideas that you cling to. That is what will shame and disfavour the Malfoy name! It already has Lucius! This family has worked very hard to pull ourselves out of the hole those beliefs got us in to!

"I will not have you and this out-dated talk bring our family down again. You will NOT share these thoughts with anyone else and you will act as if you are fine with Rose. If that seems unreasonable, or proves too difficult, than you can leave and not spend Christmas with the family. Is that clear?"

Rose was unable to hear Lucius Malfoy's response to his wife's ultimatum. Wigsly, the Malfoy's house elf, had appeared at the other end of the hallway and spotted Rose, despite her concealment charm. Not wanting to explain why she had her ear pressed to a door, Rose turned and headed towards the back stairs of the house.

Halfway down the stairs, Rose paused to digest all that she'd heard. Lucius' tirade, while not new, had really hurt. The idea that someone could hate another individual so completely simply because of their ancestry, something they had no control over, was mind boggling to her. She had only heard of such prejudices from her parents, never really experienced them first hand. Now that she had, she couldn't fathom how such hatred lived in someone.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Her parents had fought a war against this hatred; there was nothing she could do about Lucius hatred by sitting on the stairs. Deciding that the best way to combat Lucius' words was to act as if they didn't affect her, Rose stood and headed down to breakfast. If she continued on with her initial optimism about having a good day, she was sure she could make it come to fruition.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Merry Christmas! _


	10. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

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><p><em>When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels<em>

_~Anonymous_

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><p>She walked in to the kitchen, attempting to continue her optimistic attitude in front of people. Sitting at the table were the rest of the Malfoy family: Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius. Rose plastered a smile on her face and joined the trio.<p>

"Good morning, Rose. Did you have a good sleep last night?" Astoria asked warmly. She then put a plate in front of the auburn haired girl.

"Yes, very well," Rose responded. She decided not to mention all that she'd heard earlier. For one, because she hadn't been meant to here it and didn't want to answer questions about how she'd overheard it. For another, she didn't want to stir up trouble. So, she said nothing and instead began picking food from the table to eat for breakfast.

"I finally got an owl back from Mia and the group. They are coming over in a few hours to play Quidditch," Scorpius spoke, breaking the slight silence that had begun to envelop the quartet. He then turned to look at Rose, "I know it's not really your thing but you're more than welcome to join us."

Rose thought about the offer. Normally, when given such a choice, between Quidditch and anything else in the world, she'd choose the latter. When everyone else headed out to watch Quidditch matches back at school, Rose searched out a quiet corner to read a book. That would be what she normally did. Yet in this instance, the choice wasn't quite as easy as normal.

As she contemplated her plan doe the day, the argument she overheard only minutes before played in her head. If she chose not to go with Scorpius and his friends, she faced the possibility of running into Lucius Malfoy all by herself.

"I'll come and watch," Rose responded, putting extra emphasis on the word 'watch'. She was only using the Quidditch game as a way to avoid Lucius; she wasn't about to actually hop on a broom and start playing.

However, as Rose looked at Scorpius, she caught a slight sparkle in his eye that told her he may have other plans.

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><p>Rose and Scorpius were sitting out in the backyard under a warming charm. Scorpius had been tending to his broom while Rose read a book. Scorpius had spent several hours the year before, when he got the broom, explaining absolutely every facet of it to her. She had been so bored that, even with her ability to remember almost everything she heard, she hadn't retained much of the broom lecture. All she knew was it was the newest Nimbus and it was the fastest broom on the market.<p>

"Quidditch!" an excited, feminine voice called from within the house, behind the pair. They both turned and saw Scorpius' friends standing in the doorway, brooms in hand. By the large, almost comical smile on her face, Rose guessed that it had been Mia Pritchard who had spoken.

"Are you going to be playing with us?" Mia asked Rose. The auburn haired Weasley quickly glanced around the group. While only Mia, Albus and Scorpius actually played Quidditch at Hogwarts, the others carrying brooms intimidated Rose and her absolute lack of skill. Bellamy Zabini had a crazy competitive streak, going as far as playing dirty to win, even in a friendly pickup game. Geoffrey Goyle was large in both height and musculature and would provide a menacing opponent.

"Of course she isn't Mia!" Charlotte Zabini interjected, her voice filled with over-exaggerated disgust. "Rose is much to smart to partake in such an idiotic game!" While Rose's dislike of Quidditch was a result of her simply finding no enjoyment in it, Charlotte hated the game because she had no ability to play it. Charlotte always expected things to go her way and when they didn't, she turned against them.

"Rose will be siting out with Oliver and I instead. Isn't that right, Ollie?" Charlotte turned to the other member of the group without a broom and gave him a pointed look. Rose chuckled at the girl's antics.

Rose had always felt especially close to Oliver Nott. Both were quiet and reserved, and both abhorred attention of any kind. Both had a strong work ethic and did very well in classes. Both would much rather read a book than watch or play Quidditch. Rose was almost positive that Charlotte had explicitly pointed out Oliver's lack of participation in the Quidditch match to ensure Rose made the same decision.

"Sorry, Mia," Rose spoke, "I think it's best I sit this one out." The other red haired girl simply shrugged and made her way out into the backyard. Rose and the others not joining in the game took a seat on the edge of the deck and cast a warming charm around themselves.

Because there were only five playing, Scorpius and the others began with simply tossing the Quaffel around. There weren't enough players for a team, and the uneven number made it difficult to create two small teams. They quintet however, quickly tired of the simple exercise and flew back to the ground.

They slowly made their way back towards the house, animatedly discussing something. Rose musingly wondered what they were discussing. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"We need one more to play a quick three on three, any takers?" Mia asked. She scanned the faces of each of the three, but rested on Rose for several seconds longer than the others. She should have known. For years, both Albus and Scorpius had tried to get her in to Quidditch, wanting to share it with her. It had started off sweetly enough, but over the past year their efforts had begun to involve actively trying to get her to actually play the game. Rose had stood her ground on that fact on more than one occasion and she was prepared to do the same again. Nothing would get her up on a broom.

She opened her mouth to reject the offer, but was distracted by movement to her right. Oliver had begun to stand, possibly volunteering to join the game. Rose, wanting to see more, leaned forward around Charlotte. Mia, either unaware of Oliver's movements or, more likely, choosing to ignore it, instead took Rose's movement as her volunteering.

"Excellent! Thanks for volunteering Rose! You can be on Al and Scor's team and I'll play with Geoff and Bell. Here's your broom!"" Mia spoke lightning quick. She quickly grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her to a standing position. She then thrust a spare broom into a stunned Rose's arms and headed quickly back to the 'pitch'.

"I-I-I-I-I didn't volunteer!" Rose spat out.

"It'll be fun, Rosie! Just a friendly, non-competitive, pickup game. You'll have me and Scor doing all the work, if you'd like. All you have to be is a body. And who knows, maybe being in the middle of the action will change your opinion of this truly spectacular game!" Al tried to convince Rose to play using his best reasoning and his most enthusiastic and persuasive voice. All he needed to push her over the edge and have her actually agree was a puppy dog pout and 'pretty please.'

Begging to feel her resolve to never play Quidditch crumble under the force of Al's argument, Rose dug in her heels further. After Al had finished, her inner voice had asked her 'why not?' and Rose found it much more difficult than normal to answer the simple question. It was a truly unsettling sign.

She put her broom down and turned to sit where she'd just been. She halted. A pair of expensive looking leather loafers took her previous spot.

"Scorpius," the regal voice of Lucius Malfoy sounded clearly across the backyard. Rose looked up from the expensive footwear to find they belonged to the elder Malfoy. "A word, if you would." His words made it sound like a request; his tone and body language said otherwise.

The blonde looked apologetically at his friends. Then he followed his grandfather into the house. In the shocked silence that followed, Rose felt momentarily relieved at not having to mount a broom and attempt to play Quidditch. Then the implications of what had just happened hit her.

'We must do something to stop it!' Lucius' voice from earlier echoed in her mind. Without thinking, Rose began to follow after the pair, wanting to know what exactly the 'something' Lucius Malfoy had been talking about was.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Duh, duh, duh!_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter Ten**

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><p><em>In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane<em>

_~Oscar Wilde_

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><p>Rose was just about in the house, several steps behind Lucius and Scorpius, when a hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her progress. The sudden halting motion jolter her system and cleared her head. Even is she wanted to know what Lucius planned to discuss, she couldn't just follow after them. It would be far to suspicious.<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" Charlotte asked. The hand on Rose's shoulder belonged to the female Zabini. Rose looked down at her feet then made to move back onto the porch. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I meant, where are you going without us? We want to know what's going on too! Lead on, Rosie!" To emphasize her point, Charlotte gave Rose a slight shove.

The young Weasley surveyed the rest of the Slytherins standing around in the backyard. As she looked at each face, she tried to determine what their opinion about eavesdropping on the private conversation of their friend. While none were as enthusiastic at the prospect as Char, they also didn't appear as if they were against it.

"We're gonna loose them if we don't get a move on!" Char called out, grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her behind. It was obvious that Charlotte thought Rose was taking too long to decided what to do and had made to decision for her.

It took a few minutes to determine where the pair of Malfoys had disappeared to. Charlotte had to press her ear to at least five doors before finding the room that Lucius had taken Scorpius into. When Charlotte pressed her ear to the double oak doors of the study, she quickly turned to the group and motioned them in closer.

Rose moved to stand beside the dark haired girl. After only taking one step, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning to see who, or what, had tapped her, Rose saw the rest of the group not doing as Charlotte requested. Al, Mia, and Bell were putting on Extendable Ears, while Oliver and Geoff headed to opposite ends of the hallway to act as lookouts. Albus, the one who had tapped her shoulder, had an amused expression on his face and an Extendable Ear in his hand.

"Thought this might help," he whispered, his voice filled with the same amusement that was clearly etched onto his face.

"Thanks," Rose muttered sheepishly. She turned back to the door, the Extendable Ear allowing her to easily hear what was going on, on the other side.

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><p>"What do you want to talk to me about, Grandfather. As you most likely noticed, I do have company." Scorpius' tone, while polite, had a slight edge. Rose figured that the blonde had not forgotten the events of the dinner a few evenings prior.<p>

"I assure you, it will not take long and then you will be back with your friends. Now, have a seat." The conversation paused and only the rustling of clothes could be heard. Even after the rustling ceased, the conversation continued to lag. Rose imagined the pair sitting across from each other engaging in a staring contest power struggle.

"I want to apologize for both my behaviour and your father's behaviour at dinner the other night. It would appear we both lost our heads and acted very undignified. I promise this conversation will not end in a similar manner as that." Lucius paused, letting his apology sink in. Rose was taken aback by the elder Malfoy's words. It would appear that Rose was in for a lot of surprise character shifting moved from the male Malfoys.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Scorpius spoke, his own surprise evident, "for the apology. I hope clearer heads can and will prevail in this discussion."

"Yes, well, I called you away from your friends today because there is an extremely important matter I wish to discuss with you." Something in Lucius' voice put Rose on edge.

"Very well," Scorpius responded, irritation at his Grandfather's stalling clear in his voice.

"About your 'girlfriend', Rose." He seemed to have difficultly vocalizing the word girlfriend in relation to her.

"No!" Scorpius yelled. His word was accompanied by the sound of scrapping. In his outrage, Scorpius must hade suddenly stood and pushed the chair he was sitting in backwards.

"Scorpius, you promised not to turn this in to the same fiasco as the dinner," Lucius chided.

"_You _promised Grandfather. I did not! And so far _you _aren't even close to keeping your word." Scorpius' voice returned to a normal volume, but Rose could tell he was fighting very hard to keep it that volume.

"I have done nothing of the sort. All I said was I wished to discuss your girlfriend. You jumped to conclusions about specifics." Lucius' voice was haughty and conceited as a result of having bested his grandson.

"It wasn't that difficult of a leap to make. Not after your attack at dinner. You made it plainly obvious what you think of her. I hardly think forty-eight hours is enough time to change your mind."

"No, I haven't. I am hoping to change yours, Scorpius. This girl is not deserving of you!"

"You don't know that! You've spent all of twenty minutes with her, most of which you spent spewing awful things in relation to her!"

"Everything I said was true! Your association with her, the offspring of a blood traitor and a Mudblood, is threating the purity and ancientness of the Malfoy name and blood line!" Lucius' voice rose with each sentence.

"My 'association' is doing nothing to the Malfoy name!"

"It is doing everything! You are the sole Malfoy heir! If you pursue a relationship with this girl you will be throwing thousands of years of refined breathing away. Her blood is tainted! She shouldn't even be here, associating so closely with use! She is worthless and should be nowhere near this noble, pureblood family!"

Rose pulled away from the door, her entire body shaking. With each word Lucius spoke, each attack her performed against her, she felt the blood draining from her body. It was as if, with his words, Lucius had sliced into her. He used his words like a sectumsempra spell and left Rose weakened and bloody.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and then took in her surroundings. Bad idea. The faces of those around her looked at her as if afraid the lightest breeze would shatter her. Instantly, she began to feel as if it would happened. She needed to get out of there. Away from people. Just away.

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><p>Rose stumbled down the halls of the Malfoy house, not entirely aware of where she was going. A few of the Slytherins, namely Albus, Mia, and Charlotte, trued to follow her. However, in an only half-conscious attempt to get away, she cast a boundary charm, halting the other's progress.<p>

After what felt like house, but was more likely only a few minutes, Rose found herself in front of her bedroom door. One word kept repeating over and over again in her head. 'Away.' In that moment, all Rose wanted was to get away.

She hurriedly opened the door and set to work. She headed straight for her bed and grabbed the trunk she'd stored beneath it. Then, she hauled it out and placed it on her bed. Afterwards, she flicked her word and commanded her belongs to pack themselves. Draws opened and neatly folded clothes shot out and placed themselves in her trunk. Next, her textbooks and parchment packed themselves.

A knock on the door broke her concentration, causing her toiletries to stop halfway to the luggage and fall to the ground. Slowly, Rose made her way to the door and opened it a crack to see who was there.

Standing in the warm glow of the hallway lights, holding a tray of steaming cups of delicious smelling peppermint tea, was Astoria Malfoy. She smiled sweetly at Rose. That simply act cleared Rose's muddled mind slightly. 'Away' was no longer the sole thought in her head.

"Can I come in? I've found that there is almost no emotional problem that peppermint tea and a kind ear can't fix." To emphasize her point, Astoria lifted the tray slightly. Rose, still overwhelmed with emotions, simply stepped aside and opened the door wider.

Astoria walked in to the room and placed the tray on a small antique desk in the corner. Moments before, her textbooks had occupied the same area. Astoria then surveyed the room. Upon seeing Rose's half-packed suitcase she sighed slightly. Then she waved her wand and moved the trunk to the floor, sitting in the newly vacant spot.

Rose joined her, taking the spot that Astoria had patted moments before. As soon as her butt touched the fabric, Astoria magically brought the tea over. The dark haired Malfoy took a sip, waiting for Rose to start. Rose said nothing, simply sat and drank. Astoria waited another few seconds, then set her tea down.

"I understand you wanting to leave. These past few days have been quite disastrous. I'd really hoped that, at the very least, Lucius would keep his opinions to himself. I am truly sorry about that, especially this newest tirade." Rose was a little surprised that Astoria knew about it so quickly after the fact, but said nothing.

"I will not insist that you stay if you truly want to leave. I just hope you'll be willing to give us one last chance. I know we've probably used several and may not deserve such a change, but the rest of us have really enjoyed having you here and getting to know you a little better. You obviously mean a lot to Scorpius and, therefore, mean a lot to Draco and me.

"So I hope you'll stay. The annual Malfoy Christmas party is tomorrow, and Narcissa knows how to throw one truly amazing party. I am sure you'll enjoy yourself. But you don't have to decide right this minute. Take a few minutes; drink your tea and think it over. If you still want to leave, I'll be in the kitchen to help you to your grandparents. If not, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

Astoria then stood, grabbed her tea, and left. Rose sat on her bed, sipping her tea. She digested all that Astoria had just said, rolled each word and phrase around in her mind. It took her a half an hour to think over everything and then she made her decision.

She grabbed her wand and waved it in the air.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ I always have the most anxiety while writing Lucius rant/ tirade chapters. I hope you liked it!_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>The Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter 11**

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><p><em>Secrets are made to be found out with time<em>

_~Charles Sanford_

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><p>Warm sunlight filtered through the window and on to her face. She rolled over, trying to shade her eyes from the light and get a few more precious minutes of sleep. She knew soon she would have to get up and face the day. All she wanted, though, was to stay in bed all day and not face the choice she'd made the night before.<p>

A light tapping finally pulled her from her attempted sleep. She sat up, thinking the tapping was an own at her window. However, when she turned to look at the window, there was nothing there. Confused and curious, she grabbed a sweater that was flung over the back of her chair and headed out to investigate. As she manoeuvred through the hallways, the tapping continued.

She followed it down the hallway, descended the stairs after it, and headed to the warm glow of the kitchen with it slowly growing louder. She walked into the kitchen and found the source. A large eagle owl sat on the kitchen table. Another two rested behind the window, tapping their beaks against the glass.

Astoria and Narcissa sat at one end of the table, large piles of letters in front of them, including one obviously just delivered by the owl on the table. Narcissa carefully opened the letter and read it over. She then showed it to Astoria, who recorded something on a piece of parchment in front of her. The letter was then put on a pile and the owl was given a treat. Scorpius, who sat across the table from his mother and his grandmother, stood to let the owl out and the other two flew in. The process was then repeated once more.

Rose stood in the door, watching it happen. She was captivated, though she had little idea about what was going on. It seemed something fairly large, and involving a fair amount of people. The number of letters in the piles before the female Malfoys made that clear.

Another owl landed on the windowsill and began tapping. Draco, the only individual sitting at the kitchen table not involved in the task at hand, looked up at the sound and spotted Rose standing and staring at the bustling kitchen. He nodded a greeting and then motioned towards the empty seat at the table. Rose nodded back and followed his soundless invitation. The scrapping noise the chair made as she pulled it out alerted the others in the kitchen to her presence.

"Good morning, Rose," Astoria cheerfully spoke, "breakfast has been relegated to the counter while we deal with all these RSVPs. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you'd like." She then turned back to the 'RSVPs'. Rose stood to gather some food and a cup of much needed coffee.

"RSVPs for what?" she asked as she tore into a flaky croissant. Narcissa and Astoria were much to busy to answer, but Scorpius, whose only job appeared to be letting owls in and out, readily responded.

"The annual Malfoy Christmas part. Every year it seems to get larger and larger. By the way, we've already been roped into helping get the house ready. I was tag teamed early this morning and didn't really know what I was agreeing to until it was too late. Sorry."

"That's fine," Rose stated. Halfway through Scorpius' little speech, Rose realised a fact that should have been blatantly obvious the moment she entered the kitchen. Now, she was distracted by it and only half-heard what Scorpius had said. Her brain was almost completely focused on one question. Where was Lucius?

All the other Malfoys were at the table. They were, almost, all engaged in party planning. It was most likely something Lucius would want to have a say in; it was, after all, a display of the Malfoy family and their wealth, influence, and prestige. Lucius should have wanted to ensure that everything was being done to show the Malfoy's in the best possible light.

Yet, he was mysteriously missing. Rose was about to inquire as to where he could be, when she focused in on the room around her and realised that everyone but Scorpius had left.

"Where'd everyone go?" she asked. She hadn't thought she'd been that lost in thought or for so long a time.

"Mum and grandmother went off to start preparing the house for the party tonight. Dad barricaded himself in his office with a few cases to stay out of their way. We're supposed to meet them out back as soon as you're done eating. So, take all the time you need."

Rose chuckled and slowly picked up a piece of bacon. She took a tiny bite, and then slowly placed it back down.

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><p>The amount of concealment charms placed on the backyard seemed a little excessive, but she understood why it had to be done. Nobody wanted to have to deal with muggles seeing a magical party. Narcissa and Astoria had cost nearly every concealment spell they knew: charms to block and disrupt vision, cloaking charms, silencing charms, etcetera.<p>

Once they were finished shielding the backyard, Rose and Scorpius' job began. Astoria had provided them with a detailed blueprint of what the backyard was to look like. Since the town home did not have a formal ballroom, or a large enough room to temporarily act as a ballroom, the backyard had to be used for dancing and dinner. Because it would be the main party area, it had to be absolutely perfect.

"Remind me again why _we're_ the ones doing this and not your mum and grandmum? It is extremely important, as they've said several hundred times. If I were them, I would want to handle the most important parts myself and have someone else do whatever it is they're doing."

"Grandmother is busy putting together the gift bags that are given out to everyone who comes to the party. She likes to do them herself so she can loured that fact over other people. They are getting a gift handmade by Narcissa Malfoy. Which, to her, holds a lot of prestige and importance.

"Mum is in the kitchen, working with Wigsly and the slew of other house elves hired for the day. The menu is always her responsibility and she wants to make sure the food is absolutely perfect. Everyone knows food is her charge so if it's terrible it's her fault.

"They may say that this," he motioned to the area around them, "is the most important, but they each have projects that are more important in their eyes. So we're left with the confusing diagram and the responsibility of the 'ballroom'."

Rose scrunched up her face in frustration at not being able to get out of the difficult task. She then sighed deeply, and began carefully examining the diagram. This party had better be the most amazing thing she'd ever experienced with the amount of effort she was putting in to it.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__We're getting close to being done this story. Only two more chapters! Let me know what you've thought so far!_


	13. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: **__All belongs to the wondrous JKR._

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><p><strong>A Malfoy 'Family' Christmas<strong>

**Chapter 12**

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><p><em>Do not cease to drink beer, to eat, to intoxicate thyself, to make love, and to celebrate the good days.<em>

_~Egyptian Proverb_

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><p>Rose felt like a princess. She was dressed in an elegant flowy gown and preparing to go to, what pretty much equated to, a ball. Her prince was somewhere below, anxiously awaiting her arrival, and no doubt wearing something exquisite. She was sure that, as long as nothing terrible happened, this one night would make up for the rollercoaster the past week at the Malfoy's had been.<p>

She twirled one final time in the mirror then headed down to the party below. Still in the fairy-tale princess frame of mind, Rose stood at the top of the stairs and carefully stood with the correct posture. Slowly and gracefully, she then descended the stairs in the same way she'd seen countless princess do in the muggle movies at her grandparents' house.

"What are you doing?" an amused voice, asked, breaking Rose from her daydream. She drew her mind from the image of a royal castle and herself as a princess and focused back on reality. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, a bewildered smirk on his face, was her cousin Albus.

"Nothing," Rose muttered, looking down at the ground. Albus simply chuckled at his cousin then headed out towards the backyard and the awaiting party. Rose hurriedly descended the final few steps and jogged to catch up with her cousin. She was almost certain she would only know a very small number of people at the party and was not about to let one of them escape from her. She was going to latch on tightly to the few people she did know and refuse to let them go. The last thing she wanted was to be alone at a party full of people who, at the very least, knew someone her parents had sent to Azkaban.

"Gran's really excited that you'll be visiting in a few days. She's really missed you, and not let any of the rest of us forget it. Dad told me that she's forbidden Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione from ever leaving the country again over Christmas again. She's almost close to declaring family Christmases mandatory; that's how much she's missed you. And yes, she told me to tell you that," Albus spoke as they walked through the house and out into the backyard.

All the thoughts in Rose's head instantly vanished from her mind. While she had been the one to set up the backyard, seeing it lit with magical twinkle lights and candles and filled with elegantly dressed people made it come to life in an utterly mesmerizing fashion. The lights cast shadows and illuminated with a perfect balance that the backyard/ ballroom was both mysterious and secretive, and warm and inviting. Rose felt as if she could tell her deepest secrets in the shadows and have them never revealed outside that room. It was exactly what she'd imagined a high-status pureblood party to look like.

Albus waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times then turned to stare at him.

"Earth to Rosie. You in there, Rosie?" Al asked as he waved his hand.

"Yes," Rose snapped, annoyed at herself over being caught daydreaming by her cousin for the second time that evening. "I was simply admiring my handiwork. Pretty spectacular, no?" She waved her hand in the direction of the ballroom in an attempt to show it off.

"If you say so. You looked as if you'd gone somewhere else is all. Like your mind was a million miles away or something. You may want to get that checked out." Al ribbed. Rose sneered at her cousin and then entered the backyard alone suddenly feeling she no longer required her cousin's presence.

Almost as soon as she entered the party, she felt eyes drawn to her. Instantly, she regretted leaving Al behind. Rose was fast becoming the center of attention, and dreading it completely. All she wanted was to pass through the crowd and find Scorpius without all the stares and whispers. The one good thing, if anything about her current situation could be goo, was that at least the whispers seemed to be positive.

She caught countless references to her as 'daughter of the golden trio,' 'brightest witch of her age just like her mother,' 'naturally talented, obviously because of her parentage.' No one was referring to her as Lucius had; at least on the outside, none of his guests shared his opinions of her. Despite that fortunate fact, Rose still abhorred her situation and desperately wanted to escape it.

"Hey now!" a voice called out behind her. She turned to see Al making his way towards her and sighed in relief. Already, in the few seconds since his arrival, Rose felt the eyes of the surrounding crowd move off her and focus on her far more famous cousin. Al was so much more used to it that he often didn't seem to notice the attention he was receiving. "You can't just go off into this crowd on your own. You could get lost in here and never find your way back."

"Or get roped into an internship at the Ministry and be a bureaucrat for the rest of your life. Nobody wants that," Scorpius chimed in as he made his way through the crowd. He sidled up to Rose and wound his arm around her waist.

"Can I steal you for a dance?" he asked, whispering in her hair loud enough that Al could here. Then, he turned to the dark haired Potter. "Gang's at a table by the bar. Char scored it. Watch out for her will you." Albus nodded then headed out into the crowd in search of the rest of his friends.

Scorpius skilfully moved his arm from around her waist to her arm and pulled her out towards the dance floor. As the pair got closer and the crowd began to thin, Rose got a clear view of the very empty floor.

"No one else is out there," she commented, putting up resistance for the first time since he'd arrived. She looked up at his face, searching for the some sense of the same fear she was experiencing at the thought of being the first one out on the dance floor. Instead, she found a mischievous smile on his face and knew there was no way she could talk herself out of it.

"We'll get it all started," he commented simply, pulling her the last few feet out onto the shiny floor. He wrapped her in a traditional waltz stance and began twirling her around to the beat of the music that a live band played a few feet away. Thankfully, the tempo of the song, and the resulting speed of the dance kept her from seeing the countless eyes that were undoubtliby watching her.

"There are a fair amount of people here," Rose commented, voicing the only thought that was running through her mind at the moment.

"This is the social event of the year. Everyone who is anyone is here and to not show up, at least to these people, would be social suicide. My grandparents plan this for months and take great pride in the fact that they are able to draw such a crowd."

At the mention of his grandparents a slight awkward silence passed between the two. It was obvious that both were thinking of the events of the previous afternoon. Finally, Scorpius spoke up.

"Speaking about my grandparents, I just wanted you to know that I agree with absolutely nothing my grandfather said. Neither do my parents in regards to you for that matter. Both think you are wonderful and see no issue with our relationship. My grandfather has been dealt with and won't be causing you any more problems."

Rose felt relieved to hear Scorpius say what he had. Though she already knew most of it, having him confirm just made her feel all that much better and secure in her beliefs. One thing in his words did surprise Rose though, and she'd planned to ask him what he meant when he said his grandfather had been dealt with.

Unfortunately for Rose, that was when a very inebriated Carly chose to make an appearance.

"Rosie!" she shrieked loudly, "you look absolutely stunning! Doesn't she look stunning? Scorpius, tell her she looks stunning!" She made her way across the floor, stumbling slightly because of the alcohol she'd consumed and the height of her heels. Halfway across the floor, she fell off her heel and began to fall towards the floor.

All thoughts about Scorpius' cryptic words vanished from her mind as both jumped in to aid the drunken girl giddily giggling on the floor. Leave it to Carly to be the center of attention at a prestigious event hosted by the Malfoys.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Sorry this is a little late. School started again and distracted me from what I'd much rather be doing. Let me know what you thought!_


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